By Mustapha Sesay in Makeni
After over three decades, Makeni has finally got pipe borne water supply.
The newly installed water supply system was pre-commissioned on Tuesday in Makeni. The project, dubbed the ‘Three Town Water Project’, partly funded by the African Development Bank, was implemented by the Sierra Leone Water Company (SALWACO).
The project, according to SALWACO officials, was designed to provide access to improved, adequate, safe and reliable pipe borne water for the three provincial town/cities of Bo, Kenema in southeast of the country, and Makeni in the north.
Samuel Bangura, Director General of SALWACO, said his company succeeded to secure a mixture of soft loans and grants, totaling US$61 million, from the African Development Bank (ADB), the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), and the Government of Sierra Leone with the view of addressing major issues that were militating against water supply in the provinces.
In Sierra Leone, two different parastatals provide water for the public. The Guma Valley Water Company, is charged with providing water for Freetown, while SALWACO is responsible for the pronvinces.
Like Guma, SALWACO wasn’t quite efficient to provide its services, until Mr Bangura was appointed as Director General in 2013. Bangural said at the pre-commissioning ceremony on Monday that his company almost lost the ‘Three Town Water Project’ due to this inefficiency.
He attributed his success, in addition to his reforms, to the creation of a separate Ministry responsible for water supply.
“…Until 2013, when the government decided to make water one of its major priorities thereby separating the water sector from the Ministry of Energy and established Water Ministry, which has succeeded to give a face lift to the sector,” Mr. Bangura said, “SALWACO which was once a sleeping giant has become a working giant.”
He noted that he succeeded to win the confidence of the existing staff to address issues that would make the company more viable and putting aside individual differences. He promised that his company would continue to work in order to meet the demand of the people in terms of water supply.
Bo, in the south of the country, is the second largest city in Sierra Leone. It is followed by Kenema, in the east, and Makeni in the north. Before now residents of these places have depended entirely on makeshift means of getting drinking water, through water wells and streams.
“For 35 years these three cities have been out of running water which had made life difficult for the residents,” Bangura said, adding: “We will ensure that every single unit under our mandate should not struggle to benefit from adequate water supply.”
According to the SALWACO boss, over 700 people have already registered for the services in Makeni, and the pre-commissioning indicated that the facility was ready to be use. He said the Makeni City Council would be in charge of running the facility and that residents should take advantage of the system by paying for the services so that they would be able to sustain and maintain it.
He also noted that despite the outbreak of the Ebola epidemic in the country, which halted the progress of the project, they have been able to complete it within the stipulated time. He pointed out that they would continue to expand the facility to meet the growing demand of water supply.
Momodu Maligie, Minister of Water Resources, noted at the pre-commission ceremony held at the Makeni City Council Hall that the process of the project started on a “bad and challenging footing.” He however said that it was good that they succeeded in making the project a reality.
The Minister observed that from 2007 to 2012 no single water projects had been successfully completed at SALWACO because of the bad shape the company was subjected to both in terms of infrastructure and human resources. He said the successes recorded over the few years have restored the trust in the people for the institution, making them want to associate with it. He called on the people of the municipality to help maintain the facility.
Paramount Chief, Bai Shegbura Kasanga II, said they were full of joy for the completion of the project and promised continued support to ensure sustenance of the facility. He said the water supply project has helped to define the true meaning of city. PC Kasanga said as community people they were ready to pay for the services.
“Today we are happy to witness the success of this project because it was an irony for a city to depend on well water,” he stated.
The mayor of Makeni City, Sonkari Kabba Kamara, said at this time of the year the people of Makeni used to traverse long distances across the city looking for water.
“Today they can be rest assure that their worries are over,” she vowed.
Madam Kamara said they were going to transform Makeni into a modern city with the availability of water supply, and reiterated that they were ready to pay as long as the service was available because the city was growing at an “unimaginable rate.”
(C) Politico 03/0316
